E 

NtUs 



62d Congress! 
3d Session i 



SENATE 



J Document 
I No. 1148 



GEORGE STUART NIXON 

■ 

(Late a Senator from Nevada) 



MEMORIAL ADDRESSES 

DELIVERED IN THE SENATE 

AND THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

OF THE UNITED STATES 

SIXTY-SECOND CONGRESS 



Proceedings in the Senate 
February 8, 1913 



Proceedings in the House 
February 16, 1913 



PREPARED UNDER THE DIRECTION OF 
THE JOINT COMMITTEE ON PRINTING 



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WASHINGTON 
1913 



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3. 






TABLE OF CONTENTS. 



Page. 

Proceedings in the Senate 5 

Prayer by Rev. Ulysses G. B. Pierce, D. D 5,8 

Memorial addresses by — 

Mr. Newlands, of Nevada 11 

Mr. Dixon, of Montana 17 

Mr. Warren, of Wyoming 19 

Mr. Jones, of Washington 22 

Mr. Thomas, of Colorado.-" 25 

Mr. Townsend, of Michigan 29 

Mr. Myers, of Montana 32 

Mr. Works, of California 35 

Proceedings in the House 39 

Prayer by Rev. Henry N. Couden, D. D 39, 41 

Memorial addresses by — 

Mr. Roberts, of Nevada 45 

Mr. Kalin, of California 50 

Mr. Hayes, of California 52 



[3] 



DEATH OF HON. GEORGE STUART NIXON 



Proceedings in the Senate 

Thursday, June 6, 1912. 
The Chaplain, Rev. Ulysses G. B. Pierce, D. D., offered 
the following prayer: 

Almighty God, our heavenly Father, Thou art our Shep- 
herd. Though Thou causest us to walk through the val- 
ley of the shadow of death, we will fear no evil. Thou 
art, God, still with us. The rod of Thy faithfulness 
and the staff of Thy providence, they comfort us. Make 
us, we humbly pray Thee, to rest in the green pastures of 
Thy tender mercies and lead us beside the still waters of 
Thy heavenly grace. Grant that goodness and mercy 
may follow us all the days of our life and that we may 
dwell in the house of Thy presence forever. 

Even so, our Father, hear and bless us, as we stand be- 
fore Thee with bowed heads and with saddened hearts. 
We know that the way of man is not in himself alone 
and that it is not in us who walk to direct our steps. We 
humbly confess our dependence upon Thee. It is Thou 
who hast made us, and not we ourselves. It is Thou who 
holdest us in life and who orderest all our steps. There- 
fore do we put our trust in Thee. We commend to Thy 
care the soul of him whom Thou hast called from our 
presence. Be with those, we pray Thee, to whom this 
sorrow is most near and most sore. Comfort them as 
Thou alone canst comfort Thy children. Our heart and 



[5] 



Memorial Addresses : Senator Nixon 



our flesh faileth, but Thou, O God, art our strength and 
our portion forevermore. 

And unto Thee, our Father, who has loved us with an 
everlasting love and has given us comfort and good hope 
through the Gospel, unto Thee, who art our God and our 
Savior, be all glory now and forevermore. 

In the name of Him who abolished death and brought 
life and immortality to light, hear our prayer. Amen. 

The Secretary proceeded to read the Journal of yester- 
day's proceedings, when, on request of Mr. Newlands and 
by unanimous consent, the further reading was dispensed 
with and the Journal was approved. 

Mr. Newlands. Mr. President, it is my sad duty to an- 
nounce to the Senate the death of my colleague, the Hon. 
George S. Nixon, held in high esteem and affectionate re- 
gard by this body. His death occurred at Washington 
on the 5th day of June, 1912, at 9.55 p. m., after a painful 
illness following a surgical operation. At some future 
day I shall propose that the business of the Senate be sus- 
pended for the purpose of paying a fitting tribute to his 
memory. 

I offer the resolutions which I send to the desk, and ask 
for their present consideration. 

The Vice President. The Secretary will read the reso- 
lutions submitted by the Senator from Nevada. 

The Secretary read the resolutions (S. Res. 333), as 
follows : 

Resolved, That the Senate has heard with profound sorrow of 
the death of the Hon. George S. Nixon, late a Senator from the 
State of Nevada. 

Resolved, That a committee of 12 Senators be appointed by the 
Vice President to take order for superintending the funeral of the 
deceased Senator. 



[6] 



Proceedings in the Senate 



Resolved, That as a further mark of respect his remains be re- 
moved from Washington to Reno, Nev., for burial, in charge of 
the Sergeant at Arms of the Senate, attended by the committee, 
who shall have full power to carry these resolutions into effect. 

Resolved, That the Secretary communicate these resolutions to 
the House of Representatives and transmit a copy thereof to the 
family of the deceased Senator. 



The resolutions were considered by unanimous consent 
and unanimously agreed to. 

The Vice President appointed as the committee, under 
the second resolution, Mr. Newlands, Mr. Bailey, Mr. 
Works, Mr. Heyburn, Mr. Brown, Mr. Curtis, Mr. Oliver, 
Mr. Chamberlain, Mr. Swanson, Mr. Clark of Wyoming, 
Mr. Fall, and Mr. Ashurst. 

Mr. Newlands. Mr. President, I wish to announce that 
the funeral services of the distinguished Senator will be 
held at 4 o'clock this afternoon at the residence, Belvoir, 
Woodley Lane, near the Episcopal Cathedral, and that the 
Sergeant at Arms will provide conveyances for Senators. 

As a further mark of respect to the memory of the de- 
ceased Senator, I move that the Senate do now adjourn. 

The motion was unanimously agreed to; and (at 12 
o'clock and 10 minutes p. m.) the Senate adjourned until 
to-morrow, Friday, June 7, 1912, at 12 o'clock meridian. 

Tuesday, December 17, 1912. 
Mr. Newlands. I desire to give notice that on Saturday. 
February 8, 1913, I will ask that the business of the Senate 
be suspended that fitting tribute may be paid to the 
memory of my late colleague, Hon. George S. Nixon. 



[7] 



Memorial Addresses : Senator Nixon 

Satlrday, February 8, l'J13. 

The Chaplain, Rev. Ulysses G. B. Pierce, D. D., offered 
the following prayer: 

Eternal God, our heavenly Father, as we stand before 
Thee on this day of precious memory we thank Thee that 
life is not so short that we can not for a time lay aside our 
customary labors and yield ourselves to the tender and 
holy influences of this hour. As here we stand in Thy 
presence, we would take the shoes from off our feet, 
knowing that where Thy servants have faithfully and 
truly sought to do Thy will there indeed is holy ground. 
Here manifest Thyself unto our waiting spirits, we pray 
Thee, and fulfill unto us Thy promise that where Thy 
children are gathered together in Thy name there Thou 
wilt be in their midst. 

O Thou who are God, not of the dead but of the living, 
seeing that all souls live unto Thee, we thank Thee, not 
as we would but as we are able, for the blessed privilege 
of having known and labored with him whom we this 
day commemorate. Inspire our hearts, quicken our 
memories, and direct our thoughts, that the life which we 
would now honor may stand before us with all its power 
and in all its beauty. That life was Thine, our Father, 
and Thine it is. We yield Thee all praise, O Holy One, 
for the priceless heritage of the memory of him whose life 
is now hid with Christ in Thee. 

We pray Thee to be near to those to whom this life 
was most dear and to comfort those whose tender sorrow 
is too great for words and too deep for tears. Uphold 
tin in with Thy heavenly power and let Thy grace be suf- 
ficient for them until we, too, stand in Thy nearer pres- 
ence, where we shall know even as we have been known. 

And unto Thee, our God, who hast loved us with an 
everlasting love and hast called us into Thine eternal 
kingdom in Christ, unto Thee who hast given us eternal 



[8] 



Proceedings in the Senate 



comfort and good hope through the Gospel, be all glory 
and praise on earth and in heaven, now and forevermore. 
Amen. 

The Secretary proceeded to read the Journal of yester- 
day's proceedings, when, on request of Mr. Gallinger and 
by unanimous consent, the further reading was dispensed 
with, and the Journal was approved. 

Mr. Newlands. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent 
for the present consideration of the resolutions which I 
send to the desk. 

The President pro tempore. The resolutions submitted 
by the Senator from Nevada will be read. 
, The resolutions were read, considered by unanimous 
consent, and unanimously agreed to, as follows : 

Resolved, That the Senate has heard with deep sorrow of the 
death of the Hon. George S. Nixon, late a Senator from the State 
of Nevada. 

Resolved, That as a mark of respect to the memory of the de- 
ceased the business of the Senate be now suspended to enable his 
associates to pay proper tribute to his high character and dis- 
tinguished public services. 

Resolved, That the Secretary communicate a copy of these 
resolutions to the House of Representatives and transmit a copy 
thereof to the family of the deceased. 



[9] 



MEMORIAL ADDRESSES 



Address of Mr. Newlands, of Nevada 

Mr. President: Senator George S. Nixon was born in 
Placer County, Cal., April 2, 1860, of pioneer parents 
from Tennessee who were part of the great migratory 
movement to the West in the early fifties. They were 
probably caught, like hundreds of others, by the glamor 
of tales that opened to their young fancy vast possibilities 
for the venturesome. The iridescent hopes that lured 
them so far must have lacked realization or, like many 
others, they may have won and lost. Be that as it may, 
Senator Nixon's parents were unable to give their boy the 
advantages of education usually enjoyed by most of our 
American boys as a heaven-born right, and his training 
in the public schools ended at an early age. 

In youth he lived the life of the usual farmer lad. To 
gain a little money he availed himself of his great skill 
in shooting, and wandered over the California hills seek- 
ing game. It was a hard life, but he was strong, young, 
and happy. He loved nature and had a passion for flow- 
ers and all growing tilings — tastes that were stimulated 
by this roving life. 

I never heard him complain or seek sympathy for any 
hard luck, and he had his disappointments like other 
men. It is not unlikely that his youth was colored with 
much talk of his parents' wanderings, descriptions of all 
they had endured in their search after fortune, their jour- 
ney over the Plains, sacrifices made, and possibly good 
claims lost. In mining one often reaps what another 

[11] 



Memorial Addresses : Senator Nixon 

sows, and it is hard to find any western life in the early 
fifties free from the wreckage of human hopes. He was 
proud of his pioneer parents. In an address he made 
in his last campaign I was impressed by the vibrant 
quality he put into the simple phrase of " I was nursed 
at the breast of a pioneer woman." It was like a shout 
of triumph. 

He made his way through forty-odd years of effort, 
with the moderate rewards achieved by the average man; 
but in middle life, at the first whispering of a possible 
treasure in the desert at Tonopah, the pioneer blood as- 
serted itself, and Nixon was among the first in the camp. 

He had in his earlier years a varied experience as tele- 
graph operator, station and express agent in remote sta- 
tions in Nevada; he entered a bank at Reno and soon 
made himself indispensable to his employers. Later on 
he organized a bank at Winnemucca, New, and became 
its cashier, and during this time he was elected to the 
State legislature as a candidate of the Republican Party- 
In 1892, like many others, he drifted from the political 
moorings of a lifetime and identified himself with those 
who, under various political names, were struggling to 
relieve the energies of the country from the evil effects 
of the contracting gold volume. Though I belonged to 
a different party, we drifted politically together during 
this period, and regardless of party we identified our- 
selves with the bimetallic movement through which, by 
the full restoration of silver as a money metal, it was 
hoped to end the era of diminishing values and contract- 
ing energies. At that time barely sufficient gold was pro- 
duced to satisfy the demands of the world's dentistry 
and the arts, and none understood better than Senator 
Nixon the quantitative theory of money and the effect 
of the quantity of the circulating medium upon values. 



[12] 



Address of Mr. Newlands, of Nevada 



The extraordinary and unanticipated increase in the 
production of gold put an end to this movement, and we 
hoth drifted back to our original parties; but the close 
intimacy of this association gave me a clear insight into 
the quickness of his perception and the clearness and 
vigor of his intellect. I formed a friendship for him 
which strengthened, notwithstanding our political oppo- 
sition. I could not feel that we were in antagonism, and 
felt assured that we would some time drift again together 
by a mutual process into political accord. 

For many years after this he pursued the active life of 
a banker, identifying himself with most of the activities 
of Nevada, until finally, as a result of his helpfulness to 
others, he became the associate of George Wingfield in a 
mining enterprise in the desert region of Tonopah. Con- 
siderable fortune was realized in this, and later on their 
energies expanded in every form of mining enterprise 
and embraced the famous Goldfield mine, which was con- 
ducted by them with extraordinary judgment, skill, and 
integrity, and from which both realized large fortunes. 

During this period, although the State seemed over- 
whelmingly Democratic, with characteristic quickness of 
perception and judgment, he threw himself upon the crest 
of the wave of Roosevelt's popularity and in a campaign 
against apparently hopeless odds, supported by an ac- 
quaintance and popularity that were widespread, he was 
swept into the United States Senate. There with rare 
wisdom he concluded to abandon the active pursuit of 
money-making and to devote himself to his public work 
and at the same time to secure to himself the pleasures 
of friendship and of social life which ease of circum- 
stances presented to him. 

He was able to invest his holdings in some of the State's 
requirements, and the community in which he lived re- 
ceived a direct benefit from his prosperity. He estab- 

[13] 






Memobial Addresses: Senator Nixon 

lished a chain of banks, and in the panic of 1907 main- 
tained their prestige by his courage and promptitude. He 
built an opera house in Reno and gave a theater to Winne- 
mucca, controlled more by the desire to put pleasure into 
the lives of Nevada people than to obtain personal gain. 
He was one of the few men whose success was shared by 
many. There was a general satisfaction when he won. 
His sympathetic kindliness and courage were recognized 
by all. 

In such radical changes of fortune a man is apt to make 
enemies; the contrast is too great; old companions are 
sometimes hurt and slip away, and there are the disap- 
pointed, envious of one who wins where others fail, but 
with Nixon it was different. He had a cheerful, sympa- 
thetic way about him that put all at ease. Though he 
always spoke to me as " Newlands," I found myself call- 
ing him again and again " George," for he was George — 
our George Nixon to all the State of Nevada. He had the 
rare wisdom of realizing when he had enough and was 
not willing to allow his faculties to be absorbed in the 
mere greed of getting. 

He became the devoted supporter of every measure 
that would benefit the State and the section which he 
loved, and at the same time took a broad and catholic 
view of all matters tending to the advancement of the 
entire country. He became chairman of the Committee 
on Irrigation and a member of the important Committee 
on Appropriations. His social qualities endeared him to 
his colleagues, and his acute and accurate judgment, 
rarely displayed in public speech, was always at the serv- 
ice of the committees to which he belonged and of liis 
friends, whom he delighted to assist. 

Disdaining the crowded life of the city, he purchased an 
extensive suburban place on one of the most commanding 



[14] 



Address of Mr. Newlands, of Nevada 

hills near Washington, from which there stretched an 
expanding view of the Potomac and of Washington, and 
there built a home of rare beauty and taste. He built a 
similar home on the bank of the Truckee River, near 
Reno, a sparkling stream, making its way from the in- 
comparable Lake Tahoe and stretching through a valley 
surrounded by noble and effort-defying mountains — a 
scene embracing a view of rare grandeur; and upon the 
banks of Lake Tahoe he built a modest cottage, in which 
some of the most satisfactory hours were spent. In these 
several places, which demonstrated the nicety of his taste 
and the delicacy of his nature, he was glad to share with 
his friends the delights of his possessions. Only a year 
or so before his death he was reelected, showing his con- 
fidence in the strength of his popular support by volun- 
tarily submitting his election to a direct primary. 

Gratified by his reelection, confident of the affectionate 
regard of his constituency, he was looking forward to a 
further realization of satisfaction in a sane, kindly, and 
philosophic life, unvexed either by ambition or avarice, 
when a neglected complaint necessitated a surgical op- 
eration which prematurely ended his life at the age of 52. 

Having reached the decision that an operation was 
necessary, he quickly met the issue, at a time when his 
devoted wife and son were away, and his friends had 
hardly heard of the crisis when his death was announced. 

I recall the sadness with which I made my way to the 
hospital where his spirit had taken flight, and the sympa- 
thetic consideration with which I found Vice President 
Sherman attending to every detail of the last sad minis- 
trations. Mr. Sherman, though then in every appearance 
of health, well knew that his own days were numbered, 
and yet there was nothing to indicate the exigencies of 
his own condition in the calmness and considerateness 



[15] 



Memorial Addresses: Senator Nixon 



of his demeanor. Attending with a sorrowing Senate 
the final ceremonies, his was the last face that I saw at 
the railway station as we departed with the remains of 
our dear friend on the sorrowful journey westward. 
Bearing to the afflicted wife a tender letter of sympathy 
from the Chief Magistrate of the Nation, who knew and 
valued Senator Nixon, the funeral cortege made its way 
to the mountains of Nevada, and there was met by a re- 
markable gathering from all parts of the State of men in 
every class and condition of life, who sought to mark 
their respect and regard for their Senator; and there the 
body of our dead friend, seized untimely from a life of 
serenity and affection, was consigned to its last resting 
place. 



[16] 



Address of Mr. Dixon of Montana 

Mr. President: 

Whether at Naishapur or Babylon, 
Whether the cup with sweet or bitter run, 
The wine of life keeps oozing drop by drop, 
The flowers of life keep falling one by one. 

The mutations of time work a mighty havoc in the 
affairs of men. 

Of the 90 men who constituted the Senate of the United 
States when I entered this body six years ago, 23 have 
since died, not including the Vice President— more than 
one-fourth the entire membership. 

Of the 90 men then constituting its membership but 40 
now remain, and after the 4th day of March there will 
be left but 26 of the men who made up its membership on 
March 4, 1907. 

One year ago, looking around this Chamber, the ordi- 
nary man would have said that George Nixon's hold on 
life was probably as good as any Member of this body, 
and in all human probability better than the overwhelm- 
ing majority of us. I thought so. Then in the very prime 
of his physical manhood, the picture of robust health, 
congenial, vivacious, of a most happy disposition, who 
would have prophesied that he of all of us would not have 
lived out and beyond the allotted three score years and 
ten? 

I was not in Washington at the time of his death, and 
when I read the news of his sudden demise I could 
scarcely credit its truthfulness. That George Nixon was 
dead did not seem possible. 



11322'— 13- 



[17] 



Memorial Addresses : Senator Nixon 

We who knew him in the intimate daily association that 
comes with service in this body — in the open Senate, in 
the committee, and in the more intimate association of the 
cloakroom, the office, and the home — will each bear sin- 
cere testimony of his good-fellowship, integrity, level- 
headedness, and kindliness of purpose in all his relations 
with his fellow men. 

George Nixon's life had been a broad life in the best 
meaning of the term. He had seen and faced life from 
almost every angle. 

He knew men and he knew the conditions under which 
his fellow men and women live. He himself had felt the 
depression of poverty and he had known the joy that 
comes from successful contest with men and affairs of 
moment. His own success had not estranged him from 
his less fortunate felows. 

He had after long years of struggle reached the top 
round of what the world calls success. In his own State, 
in banking, farming, mining, stock raising, and other 
forms of business activity he had taken first place and 
had twice received from the people of Nevada the highest 
testimonial of their trust and confidence by two succes- 
sive elections to the Senate of the United States. 

I am glad to have known George Nixon in a somewhat 
intimate personal relation. 

His overflowing good nature, his cheery laugh, and 
friendly greeting betokened the kindliness of heart and 
sincere good-fellowship that permeated his whole life. 

Not with formal words and phrases, but from a genuine 
appreciation of him and of his friendship, I pause to lay 
a wreath of real affection upon his bier. 






[18] 



Address of Mr. Warren, of Wyoming 

Mr. President: It is upon occasions such as this, when 
we are called upon to pause in our feverish rush and 
hurry in the active affairs of life and to take note of those 
things which have passed by forever, that there comes to 
us a realization of the uncertainty of life and the certainty 
of death. 

To those of us who have been Members of this body 
for any extended period the backward-turning thoughts 
upon these memorial days bring sad visions of many 
great statesmen — genial companions, firm friends — once 
here, who passed into the mysteries of another existence. 
As their forms and faces, their efforts and achievements, 
their failures and successes, their pleasures and sorrows 
are recalled to us in these quiet memorial hours we real- 
ize, with the tent-maker poet — 

Whether the cup with sweet or bitter run, 

The wine of life keeps oozing drop by drop, 
The leaves of life keep falling one by one. 

Others have ably placed before the Senate the incidents 
of the useful and successful, but all too short career of 
our friend and colleague, the late junior Senator from 
Nevada, George Stuart Nixon; and in joining in these 
memorial services I wish simply to testify to his sterling 
worth as a man, his loyalty as a friend, and his success 
as a useful representative of his State in the Congress of 
the United States. 

The career of Senator Nixon reads like a page from the 
Arabian Nights, so rapidly did he rise from the position 
of a poorly paid telegraph operator at a remote railway 
station to a successful business man, mine owner, and 



[19] 



Memorial Addresses: Senator Nixon 

banker, and to a place in this body — all of this being ac- 
complished in a little more than 20 years. He rubbed the 
lamp of industry and — presto! Success opened her doors 
to him. His successful career not only is an evidence of 
his own industry and ability, but typifies the opportunities 
which our country offers to those who are prepared to 
grasp them. The same chances which enabled Senator 
Nixon to achieve success 10 to 15 years ago exist to-day in 
this country, and particularly in the Western States, 
where industry, honesty, and ability are as certain to 
bring rewards now as then. Hidden away in the vast 
mountain ranges of the West there are more Comstocks, 
more Leadvilles, more Cripple Creeks, more Goldfields to 
be discovered, and in plainer sight there are rich returns 
awaiting those who have the industry and the patience to 
seek them. 

George S. Nixon was preeminently the business man in 
politics in the best sense of the term. Those who served 
with him in committees and were closely associated with 
him in his senatorial duties could well understand win 
he was a successful man. His word was as good as his 
bond. He came of that type of western man who would 
make bargains running into hundreds of thousands of 
dollars without the scratch of a pen and would then live 
up to them as religiously as if they were signed, sealed, 
and delivered. 

He was genial and affable in his dealings with all who 
came in contact with him, whether below or above him 
in political rank. He was known to all his friends as the 
embodiment of good cheer, sunshine, and optimism. His 
jovial, bright smile has put out of the mind of many a 
man some trivial and vexatious thing, such as comes so 
often in our busy lives to harry or, possibly, to dis- 
cipline us. 



[20] 



' Address of Mr. Warren, of Wyoming 

The fact that Mr. Nixon was a successful man in the 
financial affairs of the day made him none the less demo- 
cratic in his dealings with his fellow men. He was ex- 
tremely popular in his own State; and those interested in 
the political affairs of Nevada, of his own and of other 
political parties, have freely predicted that, had he lived, 
he would have been again returned to his seat in the 
Senate — Nevada following her custom of many years of 
retaining in office for long periods those who serve her. 

Senator Nixon in a way was a representative of Wyo- 
ming, because for some years he held financial interests 
in that State. He was active in the support of every 
measure tending toward the welfare of Wyoming, as well 
as that of other far western States. 

He has gone from us and we have left only the sweet 
memory of a loyal, powerful, and big-hearted friend; a 
gracious and beloved comrade. 



[21] 



Address of Mr. Jones, of Washington 

Mr. President: The popular impression of the work of 
a Member of the Senate does an injustice to many a valu- 
able Senator. To be able to speak eloquently is a splen- 
did qualification, but it is not a fundamental or essen- 
tial qualification of a good and valuable legislator. The 
eloquent man may attract attention, he may gain the 
popular applause, he may get the credit for efficient work 
on behalf of the people, and yet the real legislative work 
is done in the seclusion of a committee room, where the 
quiet abilities are brought into play in the construction 
of legislation for the people's benefit. Hours of work 
and study in the office are spent in preparation for the 
consideration of measures in the committee and many of 
our most industrious, able, and faithful Senators seldom 
speak on this floor. The people may never really know 
their worth or their work, but their colleagues do. 

Such a Senator was George Nixon. Seldom heard on 
this floor, his influence was potent in committee work. 
He was regular and prompt in attendance and his knowl- 
edge of the subjects under consideration showed the 
painstaking care he had given them. His judgment was 
excellent, his experience varied, and his honesty of 
thought and purpose evident to all. His counsel was wise 
and conservative. He was a modest man and courageous. 
His biography in the Congressional Directory was char- 
acteristic of his modesty and his action upon all public 
questions in committee and on the floor of the Senate 
showed his courage. He was a safe, honest, wise, careful, 
industrious legislator and guarded with scrupulous 
fidelity the interests of his State and Nation. 



[22 



Address of Mr. Jones, of Washington 

His life and success are another inspiration to our 
youth to aspire to great things. No greater opportunities 
came to him than come to the boys of to-day. He had no 
asset when he began life's battle that any young man may 
not have now. Industry, energy, frugality, honesty, and 
faithfulness brought him success as they will to the young 
men of lo-day. 

I had the good fortune a short time ago to talk with one 
who knew him years ago, when he was a telegraph op- 
erator, and it was good to hear him tell of his early 
struggles and triumphs. The same qualities that made 
him a good, wise, and faithful legislator made him a 
valued employee. He did his work as a telegraph op- 
erator well and faithfully. His employer's interest was 
his interest and as a result he passed from one position 
of trust to another, and by the judicious investment of 
his savings he soon became a most successful business 
man. With all his successes he was the same true, loyal 
friend as of old. Neither wealth nor position caused him 
to shun or forget the friends of his early struggles, and 
many of them bless him for his kindly aid to them or 
theirs when prosperity blessed him with its abundance. 
We admire his success in business, are proud of his 
achievements as a legislator, but our sweetest memory 
comes from our personal association and contact with 
those personal qualities which endeared him to all who 
knew him. He was kind, sympathetic, and considerate. 
He had a bright and cheery smile for everyone. His daily 
greetings reminded me of a few lines like these : 

He always said, " Good morning," 

And emphasized the " good," 
As if he'd make it happy 

For each one, if he could. 



[23] 



Memorial Addresses: Senator Nixon 

I often think and say, 

That one of his " Good mornings " 

Clung to you all the day, 

And made you always cheerful 

Just thinking of the sound; 

It was always "Good morning" 

'Long as he was around. 

This little poem — not a classic but the simple expres- 
sion of a feeling that comes to us from a kindly greeting — 
illustrates something of his beautiful inner nature which 
he expressed in action toward all those who came in con- 
tact with him. He saw and emphasized the good in all 
things; he tried to fill life with sweetness; he spoke ap- 
proving, cheering words to the humblest as well as to the 
greatest. Nature gave him much of strength and those 
fair qualities of heart and mind which make a man be- 
loved by his fellow men. 

His life's work is ended. It was well done. Whether 
at humble tasks or lofty endeavor he was faithful and 
put forth his utmost ability. We treasure his memory 
as a precious heritage and his successes stimulate us to 
higher and loftier aims. 



[24] 



Address of Mr. Thomas, of Colorado 

Mr. President : By the irony of fate, at once strange and 
inscrutable, it seems to have been ordained that my first 
words upon the floor of this Chamber shall be uttered 
in eulogy of George S. Nixon. This is perhaps the more 
remarkable in that the last words he said to me on the 
occasion of our last meeting breathed the hope that at 
some time I might occupy a seat in this exalted body. 

I do not shirk the task. On the contrary, I regard it as 
a duty that I owe to the memory of my departed friend, 
for I am conscious of the fact that he would gladly, if 
there can be joy in such a task, have spoken in my behalf 
had our conditions been reversed. 

I can speak of Senator Nixon only as I knew him. My 
acquaintance with him was occasional, and yet very close. 
He was my friend. The currents of our lives flowed in 
the same channel once or twice, and again became widely 
divergent. 

The Senator from Nevada [Mr. Newlands] has given a 
brief account of Senator Nixon's identification with what 
was generally known as the free-silver movement — the 
cause of bimetallism, as it was called by its friends. It 
was the activity of that great movement which first 
brought us in conjunction during the earlier period of 
the nineties, at which time the entire West, as one man, 
and regardless of party lines, entertained the abiding con- 
viction that the cause was the embodiment of much that 
was absolutely essential to the welfare and permanent 
prosperity of this great Nation. I was one of the apostles 
of that movement, in the integrity of which I have be- 
lieved as firmly in the days of its defeat as when it was 



[25] 



Memorial Addresses: Senator Nixon 

a militant question in American politics. I speak of this 
because his convictions were the same, and they were 
always expressed with that earnestness and vigor which 
always characterizes sincerity and candor. 

I met Senator Nixon in conventions and in conference 
rooms during what I may call the crisis of this great 
movement, and during all the stages of it which led up 
to that crisis. He was always at the front, a crusader in 
the cause, contributing to it of his time and of his means 
as freely as though it concerned him merely as an indi- 
vidual. But with the defeat of that movement, and its 
acceptance as an accomplished condition by those who 
advocated it, our lines of life were no longer identical. 

Then arose the great mining excitment in southern 
Nevada, beginning with Tonopah, and still continuing its 
activities in several portions of the State. In 1896 I was 
summoned, in the capacity of counsel, by Senator Nixon 
and by his associate, to look after some of their legal 
affairs in the great camp of Goldfield. This employment 
again brought me into close and intimate contact with 
Senator Nixon, a relation which continued until the close 
of the year 1908. It was during these years that I learned 
to know him well and to respect and love him more as a 
friend than a client. 

Mr. President, there is no more severe test of a man's 
capacities or the lack of them than that which is applied 
by the rough-and-tumble civilization of a frontier mining 
camp. What a man is, whence he comes, whether he can 
boast a long line of ancestors, or is a mere waif upon the 
tides of humanity, all these count for nothing. Every 
man, inched every human being, in these suddenly sum- 
moned aggregations of people is inspired by the desire 
to take advantage of the immediate occasion to secure as 
much as possible of that hidden wealth which has called 
them together. In that mad struggle every man stands 

[26] 



Address of Mr. Thomas, of Colorado 



for himself. Wealth counts only as it may give to its 
possessor an advantage over those who have it not; and 
the man who emerges successfully from these turbulent, 
exciting, exacting but just conditions must be a man 
indeed. 

Senator Nixon stood that test, was tried by the crucible 
fires of that experience, not once but many, many times, 
and rose triumphant upon the crest of each successive 
occasion. He was fortunate in that he was allied with a 
man — Mr. George Wingfield — destitute of the ordinary 
advantages which come to the American boy, but pos- 
sessed of a native genius and talent that easily made him 
a master of men, a man of action as well as a man of 
affairs; a man of resolute determination and indomitable 
courage, whose characteristics so dovetailed into those of 
Senator Nixon as to make them an invincible team in the 
development of the mining affairs of the great State of 
Nevada. Such a copartnership should be sundered only 
by the hand of death. 

I need mention only one incident in the career of Mr. 
Wingfield to indicate how truly he was entitled to the 
confidence and affection of Senator Nixon, whose long- 
time partner and associate he was. He was tendered the 
position of United States Senator as the successor of Sena- 
tor Nixon by the governor of Nevada, but declined it be- 
cause of his allegiance to those interests and business 
which had been confided to his keeping by friends and 
associates, and which might have been neglected had 
he accepted an appointment to that exalted position. 
Together they accumulated a great fortune, but they 
used it as great fortunes should be used, largely in the 
development of their native State, largely in assisting 
their local communities, and privately in extending aid 
to those needing and deserving it. 



[27] 



Memorial Addresses: Senator Nixon 

If it be true, Mr. President, that he who makes two 
blades of grass grow where but one grew before is a bene- 
factor of humanity, then it must indeed be true that Sena- 
tor Nixon was such a benefactor, for he performed this 
task manyfold, and the multiplied blades of grass that 
have sprung behind his pathway from obscurity to promi- 
nence and material success are many times multiplied 
beyond the accepted standards of man's experience. 

His directness in matters of business always appealed 
to me. On one occasion he requested an opinion upon 
a matter involving hundreds of thousands of dollars. I 
spent much time and labor in preparing the opinion 
which he desired, but when presented he merely glanced 
at its conclusion. " That alone is what I am interested 
in," he said; " you are concerned with the reasons leading 
up to it; I accept the responsibility because you tell me 
(hat I am safe in doing so. If it should transpire that 
this is not true or that its truth should be challenged, 
yours then becomes the responsibility. I am too busy a 
man to concern myself with your reasons." That was 
a type of George S. Nixon. 

In very truth a self-made man, born among the humbler 
ranks of the people, and rising through his own unaided 
efforts, step by step, to a seat in the Senate of the United 
Slates, he presents a most inspiring example, Mr. Presi- 
dent, to the youth of this country. 

I know nothing of the deceased Senator's domestic 
affairs except that his life in all things was clean and 
above reproach. On earth he was enlisted in the army 
of the industrial militants. To-day he is enrolled with 
the hosts triumphant. 



T281 



Address of Mr. Townsend, of Michigan 

Mr. President: It is a pleasure for me to add a brief 
but sincere tribute of respect and esteem to the memory 
of our late colleague, the Hon. George S. Nixon. 

I was not acquainted with him prior to my entering the 
Senate in March, 1911, but upon coming here I was as- 
signed to the Committee on Interstate Commerce, of 
which he was a member. In the work of that committee 
I came into quite close and intimate relations with him. 
I also saw much of him in this Capitol on the floor and in 
the lobbies. 

Association with a member in committee gives a fairly 
just and correct idea of his ability and character as a 
legislator. It is there that his business qualities are 
demonstrated. His point of view, his insight into the 
nature and effect of proposed measures are discovered. 
There he is unembarrassed by the public gaze and unin- 
fluenced by the thought of reporters or of criticizing col- 
leagues. He is himself, and in the semiprivacy of the 
committee room he speaks and acts with freedom. 

In the lobby we see the social and human side of Sena- 
tors. There the student of human nature can discover 
the secret springs which move to action. Generosity, 
kindness, magnanimity, littleness, selfishness, envy, and 
the other characteristics of humans show forth in all 
their beauty or ugliness, and a lounging room is necessary 
to a right understanding of public men. 

In the committe room I found Senator Nixon a clear- 
headed, far-sighted man. His varied and phenomenal 
business career' gave him an experience which enabled 
him to comprehend broadly and quickly some of the 



[29] 



Memorial Addresses: Senator Nixon 

great questions which were presented for consideration, 
and though diffident on the floor of the Senate, he did 
not hesitate in expressing his views hefore the committee, 
and his colleagues gave him careful attention. 

In the lobby he radiated friendliness and good cheer. 
He despised hypocrisy and could vigorously express his 
disapproval. Modest himself, he could not endure the 
Pharisee, but he was always willing to award just credit 
where it was due. He was not envious. 

I do not recall that I was ever formally introduced to 
him, but it seems to me that I knew him and felt his 
friendship from the very beginning of my service in the 
Senate. 

The life of Senator Nixon shows the possibilities of the 
American boy. His short and modest biography in the 
Congressional Directory indicates that he lived and 
worked upon a farm in California until he was 19 years 
of age. His schooling was confined to the public schools 
near his home. At the age of 19 he entered the employ 
of a railroad company, where he learned telegraphy. In 
1881 his company transferred him to Nevada, where he 
served as agent and telegraph operator for three years, 
at the end of which time he accepted a position as clerk 
in a Reno bank. In 1891 he was chosen a member of 
the Nevada Legislature, in 1905 he was elected to the 
United States Senate from that State, and in 1911 he was 
reelected under the Oregon plan for another term of six 
years. 

I know but little of his early life, but I assume that he 
was a poor boy and that his school education was limited, 
but I know his knowledge of men and affairs was great 
and that his varied experience fitted him to win the suc- 
cess, financial and political, which he achieved. 



[30] 






Address of Mr. Townsend, of Michigan 

If I were called upon to give in detail a definition of a 
superior Senator I would be troubled to frame it. I could 
not say that it was the most eloquent one, neither would 
it be he who makes the most copy for the Record, nor 
would it always or generally be the man whose picture 
appears oftenest in the columns of the public press. On 
the other hand, silence and reticence are not unmistak- 
able evidence either of wisdom or goodness, but it seems 
to me that the best legislator is the honest, practically in- 
telligent man who is deeply impressed with the great 
responsibilities of service resting upon him and who fear- 
lessly and conscientiously goes about his work having in 
mind his country's good and careless of his own. 

I do not claim for Senator Nixon what he would not 
claim for himself, viz, that he was a great Senator. There 
are very few of such, fewer than some Senators will 
admit. But he was a useful legislator, a true friend, and 
an honest man. His environment shut out some of the 
modern notions of political reforms, but according to his 
lights he performed his duty well, and his death took 
from this body a good Senator and from its Members a 
loval friend. 



T31] 



Address of Mr. Myers, of Montana 

Mr. President: We meet to honor the memory of a 
departed associate, and in so doing we honor ourselves. 
Death is the most momentous of all earthly affairs. 
Birth, marriage, riches, fame, eminence, domestic affairs, 
business success, wordly honors, all the splendor, pomp, 
and glory of the world pale into utter insignificance be- 
side the one short second when death lays hold on the 
mortal frame. 

Alexander the Great conquered the world. Napoleon 
Bonaparte devastated nations. Julius Caesar crossed the 
Rubicon. Christopher Columbus discovered a continent. 
The greatest of these achievements was as naught to the 
moment when the achiever's life fled. Xerxes at Ther- 
mopylae, seated upon an eminence, viewing his glittering 
legions of infantry and chariots, forming in array of 
battle on the plain below, wept at the thought that all the 
glory and power there represented must so soon pass 
away and he and his ambition for conquest sink forever 
into oblivion. 

Therefore great as was our departed associate, the late 
Senator Nixon, in generosity of heart, nobility of impulse, 
integrity of purpose, strength of character, devotion to 
principle; great as were his achievements in the commer- 
cial world and political circles; splendid as are the heights 
he attained; lovely as he was in all that goes to make a 
manly man; we are assembled here to-day on account of 
the most momentous phase of his physical existence — its 
termination. Death is always a grave matter, but the 
gravity thereof is brought to bear upon us with more 
impending weight and sterner reality than ever when we 



[32] 



Address of Mr. Myers, of Montana 



lose one whom we love and honor as friend and associate. 
I believe we do not fully realize the worth of those with 
whom we associate until they are gone. 

In the short time that I was favored with the personal 
acquaintance of Senator Nixon I did not have the honor 
of becoming an intimate friend and associate of his, but 
I learned greatly to admire and respect him. He was a 
most kindly disposed man. The generosity of his heart 
was striking. The kindliness of his disposition was un- 
usual. The benevolence of his character was extraordi- 
nary. He was full of sympathy for his fellow beings. 
Ever ready to assist another, he always lent a kindly ear 
to those who appealed to him. Accommodating and 
affable, his store of help for human kind was inexhausti- 
ble. My association with him was most pleasant to me, 
and I feel that I am a better man for having known him. 
His temperament was typical of the broad and boundless 
West, of which he was an honored resident. Early in life 
identified with the West, he was imbued with lavish en- 
dowments of the heart analogous to the lavish endow- 
ments that favored section enjoys at the hands of 
nature. His rugged character was typified by the solid 
mountains based on the everlasting rocks. His loftiness 
of purpose was analogous to the towering peaks that 
pierce the clouds. His generosity of heart was as free 
as the dashing waterfall that courses down the mountain 
side. His greeting was as cordial as the kiss with which 
the morning sunbeam greets the smiling vale. His 
breadth of mind was like unto the broad and sweeping 
plains of his beloved West. We miss him here, but this 
body is better for his service in it. I enjoyed courtesies 
at his hands, and, while I probably did not during his 
lifetime as fully acknowledge them as they deserved, I 
take this occasion to pay a tribute, to the extent of my 
humble ability, to him and his worth. 



11322°— 13 3 [33] 



Memorial Addresses : Senator Nixon 

The great French soldier, La Tour D'Auvergne, was the 
hero of many battles, but of his own choice he remained 
in the ranks. Napoleon Bonaparte gave him a sword and 
the official title of " first among the grenadiers of France." 
When he was killed the Emperor of France ordered that 
his heart be intrusted to the keeping of his regiment; that 
his name be called at every roll call, and that his next 
comrade each time answer: "Dead upon the field of 
honor." Thus we may regard our departed associate. 
His name will no more be called on the roll call of this 
body, but whenever it is called in our hearts we can an- 
swer : 

Dead upon the field of honor. 



34 



Address of Mr. Works, of California 

Mr. President: I have not prepared any formal eulogy 
upon the life and character of Senator Nixon, but I feel 
moved to express in unstudied words my appreciation 
of him as a man and a public servant, and in simple 
terms to pay the tribute to his memory that he deserves. 

My personal acquaintance with Senator Nixon was 
comparatively brief; but I had known him for a long 
time, not only as a man in the public eye, but through 
mutual friends. When I came into the Senate I had the 
good fortune to be given a seat next to him in this Cham- 
ber. We had many things in common. He was a native 
of my adopted State. He loved California. He was in- 
terested in everything that was done in the interest of his 
native State. He was ready always to assist me as a new 
Senator in my efforts to represent the interests of the 
State that we both loved so much. 

Shortly before his death I had the pleasure of visiting 
his home, and in that splendid home of his, furnished 
with all the luxuries that money could provide, and sur- 
rounded by the transcendent beauties of nature, he told 
us on that day the simple story of his early life. It was 
a life of privation and toil. It was an experience that 
taught him the valuable lessons of frugality, energy, and 
perseverance, which later on brought him fortune and 
fame. 

One morning, very soon after that occurrence, he came 
into the Senate and said to me, " I am going to the hos- 
pital tomorrow." I expressed my surprise, for I re- 
garded him as a man in perfect health, and I inquired 
what was the trouble. " Oh," he said, laughingly, " it is 



[35] 



Memorial Addresses: Senator Nlxon 

only a slight operation that I have to undergo." A very 
few days after that time I stood at his bedside in a little 
room in one of the hospitals of this city. He was un- 
conscious and dying. His beloved wife was speeding to 
his bedside from their far western home; but she was too 
late. She met the remains of her husband at Chicago, 
and returned with them to deposit his body in his adopted 
State and among his friends. 

His was a useful life. It was a life that might furnish 
a worthy example to every young man in this country. 
He was successful as a business man. He came into the 
Senate of the United States with a trained business mind. 
He was a capable, earnest, and sincere public servant. 
He was possessed of a genial, sunny, happy disposition 
that carried good cheer wherever he went. 

Mr. President, a life like that is worth more to human- 
it}' than the ability to make and accumulate money. I 
believe that no one realized that fact more fully than 
Senator Nixon himself. With all his wealth he was a 
simple, kindly, loving man. I think he cared much less 
for the money that he had been able to accumulate 
through his energy, perseverance, and wisdom than he 
did for the good will and love of his fellow men. 

He was a man who had accomplished much in a mate- 
rial way. His services here in the Senate were intelligent, 
wise, and honest. We may very well say in memory of 
him that he was a good citizen, a kind and loving husband 
and father, and an honest and capable public servant. 



[36] 



Proceedings in the Senate 



Mr. Curtis. Mr. President, I offer the resolution which 
I send to the desk. 

The Presiding Officer. The resolution will be read. 

The Secretary read the resolution (S. Res. 461), as fol- 
lows : 

Resolved, That as a further mark of respect to the memory of 
the deceased Senators Robert Love Taylor and George S. Nixon 
and deceased Representatives Edmond H. Madison and Alexander 
C. Mitchell the Senate do now adjourn. 

The resolution was unanimously agreed to; and (at 2 
o'clock and 47 minutes p. m.) the Senate adjourned until 
Monday, February 10, 1913, at 12 o'clock meridian. 

Monday, February 17, 1913. 
A message from the House of Representatives, by J. C. 
South, its Chief Clerk, transmitted to the Senate resolu- 
tions of the House on the life and public services of Hon. 
George S. Nixon, late a Senator from the State of Nevada. 



[37] 



Proceedings in the House 

Thursday, June 6, 1912. 

The House met at 11 o'clock a. m. 

The Chaplain, Rev. Henry N. Couden, D. D., offered the 
following prayer: 

Our Father in heaven, renew our faith and confidence 
in Thee; continue Thy favors unto us; quicken all our 
faculties and make us strong to do Thy will that we may 
be faithful servants unto Thee and unto our fellow men. 
Let Thy blessing be upon the stricken wife and son of the 
Senator who has been called suddenly to the higher life, 
that they may put their trust in the God of the living and 
the dead, whose mercy is from everlasting to everlasting. 
Prepare us for whatever awaits us in the dispensation of 
Thy providence, and Thine be the praise, through Jesus 
Christ, our Lord. Amen. 

MESSAGE FROM THE SENATE. 

The committee informally rose; and Mr. Sims having 
taken the chair as Speaker pro tempore, a message from 
the Senate, by Mr. Crockett, one of its clerks, announced 
that the Senate had passed the following resolutions: 

Resolved, That the Senate has heard with profound sorrow of 
the death of the Hon. George S. Nixon, late a Senator from the 
State of Nevada. 

Resolved, That a committee of 12 Senators be appointed by the 
Vice President to take order for superintending the funeral of the 
deceased Senator. 



[39] 



Memorial Addresses: Senator Nixon 

Resolved, That as a further mark of respect his remains be re- 
moved from Washington to Reno, Nev., for burial, in charge of 
the Sergeant at Arms of the Senate, attended by the committee, 
who shall have full power to carry these resolutions into effect. 

Resolved, That the Secretary communicate these resolutions 
to the House of Representatives and transmit a copy thereof to 
the family of the deceased Senator. 

Resolved, That as a further mark of respect to the memory of 
the deceased the Senate do now adjourn. 

In compliance with the foregoing, the Vice President 
appointed as said committee Mr. Newlands, Mr. Bailey, 
Mr. Works, Mr. Heyhurn, Mr. Brown, Mr. Curtis, Mr. 
Oliver, Mr. Chamberlain, Mr. Swanson, Mr. Clark of Wyo- 
ming, Mr. Fall, and Mr. Ashurst. 

Mr. Boberts of Nevada. Mr. Speaker, it is my solemn 
and painful duty to announce to the House the death of 
the Hon. George S. Nixon, a United States Senator from 
the State of Nevada. Thus has ended the life of an hon- 
ored and useful servant and one who was universally re- 
spected. At some future time I shall ask that a date be 
set apart to pay proper tribute to his memory. I now 
offer the following resolutions, which I send to the Clerk's 
desk. 

The Clerk read as follows: 

House resolution 575. 

Resolved, That the House has heard with profound sorrow of 
the death of Hon. George S. Nixon, a Senator of the United States 
from the State of Nevada. 

Resolved, That the Clerk communicate these resolutions to the 
Senate and transmit a copy thereof to the family of the deceased 
Senator. 

Resolved, That a committee of 12 Members be appointed on the 
part of the House to join the committee appointed on the part of 
the Senate to attend the funeral. 

The resolutions were agreed to. 



[40] 



Proceedings in the House 



The Speaker announced the committee of Members to 
attend the funeral as follows : Mr. Roberts of Nevada, Mr. 
Langham of Pennsylvania, Mr. Bowman of Pennsylvania, 
Mr. Raker of California, Mr. Hamilton of West Virginia, 
Mr. Dyer of Missouri, Mr. Gould of Maine, Mr. Murray of 
Massachusetts, Mr. Rubey of Missouri, Mr. Langley of 
Kentucky, Mr. Young of Kansas, and Mr. Greene of Massa- 
chusetts. 

The Speaker. The Clerk will read the next resolution. 

The Clerk read as follows: 

Resolved, That as a further mark of respect the House do now 
adjourn. 

The resolution was agreed to; accordingly (at 3 o'clock 
and 47 minutes p. m.) the House adjourned until to-mor- 
row, Friday, June 7, 1912, at 11 o'clock a. m. 

Friday, January 17, 1913. 

Mr. Roberts of Nevada. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous 
consent for the present consideration of the order which 
I send to the Clerk's desk. 

The Speaker. The Clerk will report the order. 

The Clerk read as follows: 

Ordered, That Sunday, February 16, 1913, be set apart for ad- 
dresses on the life, character, and public services of Hon. George 
S. Nixon, late a United States Senator from the State of Nevada. 

The Speaker. The question is on agreeing to the order. 

The order was agreed to. 

Sunday, February 16, 1913. 

The House met at 12 o'clock noon, and was called to 
ordered by Mr. Doremus as Speaker pro tempore. 

The Chaplain, Rev. Henry N. Couden, D. D., offered the 
following prayer: 

Our God and our Father, our life and our hope, for in 
Thy keeping is the destiny of men, we gather here to-day 



[41] 



Memorial Addresses: Senator Nixon 

in memory of men who by dint of industry and faithful 
service proved themselves worthy of the confidence re- 
posed in them, and have passed on to the reward of the 
faithful. It is well thus to commemorate their service 
and record their history as an ensample to those who 
shall follow them. Strengthen our faith, encourage our 
hope, and inspire us to noble endeavors, that we may 
merit the confidence of our fellow men and Thy loving 
kindness. Help us and their dear ones to say in all faith, 
Thy will be done. 

So long Thy power has blest us, sure it still 

Will lead us on 
O'er moor and fen, o'er crag and torrent, till 

The night is gone, 
And with the morn those angel faces smile 
Which we have loved long since, and lost awhile. 

In the spirit of Him who brought to light life and im- 
mortality. Amen. 

The Clerk began the reading of the Journal of the pro- 
ceedings of yesterday. 

Mr. Hamilton of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I ask unani- 
mous consent that the reading of the Journal be dis- 
pensed with. 

The Speaker pro tempore. Is there objection. 

There was no objection. 

The Speaker pro tempore. The Clerk will read the next 
special order. 

The Clerk read as follows: 

On motion of Mr. Roberts, of Nevada, by unanimous consent, 
Ordered, That Sunday, February 16, 1913, be set apart for ad- 
dresses upon the life, character, and public services of Hon. 
George S. Nixon, late a Senator from the State of Nevada. 

Mr. Roberts of Nevada. Mr. Speaker, I present the fol- 
lowing resolutions, which I send to the Clerk's desk. 



[42] 



Proceedings in the House 



The Clerk read as follows: 

House resolution 841. 

Resolved, That the business of the House be now suspended in 
order that opportunity may be given for tributes to the memory 
of Hon. George S. Nixon, late a Senator from the State of Nevada. 

Resolved, That as a special mark of respect to the memory of 
the deceased and in recognition of his distinguished public career 
the House, at the conclusion of these memorial exercises to-day, 
shall stand adjourned. 

Resolved, That the Clerk communicate these resolutions to the 
Senate. 

The resolution was agreed to. 



[43] 



MEMORIAL ADDRESSES 



Address of Mr. Roberts, of Nevada 

Mr. Speaker: We have assembled here to-day in an 
humble way to pay our respects to the memory and ster- 
ling character of the late Senator from Nevada, the Hon. 
George S. Nixon. 

I knew him well. He was my friend and yours. He 
was cut down in the midday of life, at a time when he 
had become a most important factor in the upbuilding 
of his beloved State. 

His life's work here is ended. The death angel has 
called him home. The friends he left behind will see 
him here on earth no more. The voice is hushed, and in 
the silent confines of a lonely tomb beside the crystal 
waters of the Truckee he sleeps the sleep that knows no 
waking — a fitting resting place for one who loved his 
native heath. 

Warbling songsters in the trees, 
Wild flowers waving in the breeze; 
Sagebrush perfumes — God's behest — 
A fitting place for one to rest. 

His life was one worthy of emulation and shows what 
can be accomplished by one who starts out in the race of 
life under the most adverse circumstances but who car- 
ries with him a mental and a moral compass the needle of 
which points to the north pole of all that is fair, upright, 
and honorable in life. And yet he is not gone. He is 
among us, and in our every walk of life we feel his very 
presence. His life was so closely interwoven with the 
social, moral, political, and business fiber of our State 
and Nation thai his death was a severe blow. 



[45] 



Memorial Addresses : Senator Nixon 

He was a plain, blunt, business man, quick, decisive, 
and possessed of wonderful energy. He received his 
early education in the stern school of adversity, and 
though possessed of millions at his death was ever mind- 
ful of the lowly rounds of life's ladder by which he did 
ascend. He was charitable, but his charity was of that 
healthy sort so seldom seen. What he did for others was 
never known. His left hand knew not what his right 
hand did. 

His vast wealth was honestly acquired from the various 
industries of Nevada, and every dollar represented an 
honest endeavor to build up and husband the resources of 
an undeveloped State. His name was ever a guaranty 
that the many enterprises in which he was engaged were 
sound, stable, and legitimate; and when the panic of 1907 
struck Nevada and many of the fianancial institutions 
began to close their doors, it was the Hon. George S. 
Nixon, directing a well-planned policy of endeavor, that 
saved countless millions of dollars to the people of 
Nevada and averted what seemed to be a death blow to 
Nevada and her industries. His banks, with his name 
and personal fortune behind them, stood as solid as the 
granite base of the high Sierras. 

Born of humble parentage and nurtured in the wide 
and open fields of the western frontier, it was but natural 
that his pulse should beat in harmony with the common 
people and that he should ever be democratic in all 
things. 

As a judge of men he had few equals. He was quick 
to see and quick to act. He had a wonderful grasp of 
national problems and was recognized as one of the safest 
men in the United States Senate. He was no orator and 
made no pretenses to being such. He was simply a plain, 
blunt, business man, who studied political questions and 
applied to them the same rules that guided him in busi- 

[46] 



Address of Mr. Roberts, of Nevada 

ness affairs. He faced the problems of life as he met 
them. He knew no such word as fail. He never whim- 
pered or complained. He went through life an optimist, 
spreading sunshine along his pathway. He rejoiced with 
those whose fortunes brightened up their lives and sor- 
rowed with those whose lives were veiled in sadness. 

Loyal as a husband and father, true to the interests of 
his family, proud of his home and its surroundings, proud 
of the State he represented and which he did more toward 
advancing and developing than any other man, living or 
dead, he has passed on through life a respected, honored 
man among men, whose good works will live long after 
the foot of Time has trodden down his marble tombstone. 

Senator Nixon was born in Placer County, Cal., in 1860. 
While a mere boy he took up the study of telegraphy in 
an office at Newcastle, near his home, and mastered it. 
He was soon recognized as apt, honest, and trustworthy, 
and was offered the position of operator at a small station 
on the C. & C. Railroad in Esmeralda County, Nev., which 
he accepted. From that time on his rise was rapid. His 
work was of such a character that in 1881 he was pro- 
moted to a higher position as operator at the Humboldt 
House, on the main line of the Southern Pacific. While 
in that position he made many influential friends who, 
recognizing his ability, offered him various positions of 
trust. He finally accepted a clerkship in the Washoe 
County Rank. He remained with that institution two 
years, thoroughly mastering the banking business. In 
1886 he opened the First National Rank of Winnemucca, 
Nev., and although he personally had but $2,500 in cash 
at the time, the bank soon became known as one of the 
strongest financial institutions in the State. 

In 1890 he was elected a member of the State legisla- 
ture, and in 1905 he was elected United States Senator 
to succeed Hon. William M. Stewart. He was renomi- 

[47] 



Memorial Addresses: Senator Nixon 

nated without opposition and reelected in 1911. His 
stand upon public questions was open and aboveboard. 
He shrank from no duty, but met all opposition with char- 
acteristic frontier determination. 

He was a State builder and a governmental mainstay. 
Whatever he engaged in, be it mining, farming, or poli- 
tics, he applied to it the strict cardinal principles of hon- 
esty, sincerity, and determination, which crowned every 
effort with success. 

He was a leader among men and an organizer of rare 
tact and constructive ability. He was practical in all 
things and scorned the theoretical. The true qualities 
and attributes of American manhood were developed in 
him in his early youth, and throughout an active life in 
private and public affairs he always took the lead. Inde- 
pendent, broadgauged, determined, and bent on accom- 
plishing results, he was a potent factor in the upbuilding 
of the State and Nation. 

Shortly after the great Tonopah mining excitement, at 
the solicitation of George Wingfield, he went to Tonopah, 
and while there associated himself with others in the 
establishment of a bank. He also invested in mining 
properties, which in a short space of time put him in the 
millionaire class. Subsequently he and Mr. Wingfield se- 
cured control of the Goldfield Consolidated Mines Co., 
of which he became president. This last investment 
added millions to bis fortune. He afterwards disposed 
of all his mining interests to Mr. Wingfield and devoted 
himself almost exclusively to banking, farming, and stock 
raising. 

He was ever true and loyal to his friends, which to a 
great extent made of him the admirable character that 
he was. Honest, big hearted, firm, and substantial, he 
commanded the respect and confidence of all who knew 
him. Ever at the front of the procession in all things 



[48] 



Address of Mr. Roberts, of Nevada 



which tended to the advancement of State and National 
affairs; ever bending his energies to do something worth 
while, he stood out preeminently as Nevada's foremost 
citizen. 

He had in himself a continent of undiscovered charac- 
ter, and true to himself, true to his family, true to his 
constituency, true to his country, he acted the Columbus 
of his own soul. 

The dark clouds of sorrow have hovered low over the 
homes of friends throughout the Nation, who realize that 
in his death one of the strong pillars of stable government 
has been removed and that those engaged in life's battle 
will see him on the firing line no more. Such is life. 
Such is death. It comes to all. It is inevitable. 

And after all, what is it? A journey to an unknown 
land, from whose shores no traveler has ever yet returned. 

A little while and those of us who now do mourn will 
take the selfsame journey. Season after season will 
come and go. Unborn mountain peaks will rear their 
heads above the deep blue waters of old ocean. Historic 
facts well known to-day will fade to dim tradition. Em- 
pires that flourish now will crumble and decay. All, all 
will pass away. Naught will remain more inspiring, 
more enduring, than the priceless legacy of a good name. 
Such a heritage has the late Senator left to his family 
and his country. 

The memory of his good deeds will ever stay, 

A lamp to light us on the darkened way; 

A music to the ear on clamoring street, 

A cooling well amid the noonday heat; 

A scent of green boughs blown through narrow walls, 

A feel of rest when quiet evening falls. 



11:122 —13 4 [49] 



Address of Mr. Kahn, of California 

Mr. Speaker: Practically every Sunday during the pres- 
ent session of Congress has been devoted to memorial 
services in honor of some departed Member of the Sen- 
ate or the House. It has been said " Death loves a 
shining mark." Surely he has hurled his shafts in the 
Congress of the United States with terrific effect upon 
the membership of the two Houses during the past year. 

Among those who have fallen in the good fight for the 
advancement of the welfare of the citizens of this Repub- 
lic is George S. Nixon, a Senator from the State of Ne- 
vada. He was only 52 years old at the time of his death, 
and yet during the brief span of years that he was per- 
mitted to walk upon this earth he arose from poverty to 
affluence; from a lowly station in private life to an ex- 
alted position in the affairs of the Nation. He was able 
to perform these things because he had innate ability. 
His life fully exemplifies the latent possibilities that dwell 
within the frame of every American citizen. 

He was born on April 2, 1860, in Placer County, Cal. 
His parents were pioneers who had journeyed from Ten- 
nessee to the Golden State. His early life was spent upon 
the hillsides that encircle the town in which he first saw 
the light of day. As a farmer's boy he roamed at will 
over the foothills of the Sierras. His opportunities for 
education were limited; he was taught by experience, and 
his knowledge was practical rather than academic. The 
outdoor life to which he became inured in his youth gave 
him a rugged constitution, and his communings with na- 
ture prepared him for those larger activities to which 
he was called after he had attained man's estate. He 



[50] 



Address of Mr. Kahn, of 'California 

was of a most cheerful disposition. He was possessed of 
that quality which men call " personal magnetism," and 
he drew others toward himself in every walk of life into 
which he entered. His kindliness of manner and his 
readiness to extend a helping hand to those who were 
less fortunate than himself endeared him to all who were 
privileged to know him. In the Senate of the United 
States he was always active in advancing the interests of 
the far West, that section of our country which he knew 
so well and whose needs he endeavored most assiduously 
to supply. He had just been elected to a second term 
when the hand of death was laid upon him. The people 
of the State of Nevada recognized his true worth. He 
had contributed liberally from his store for their enter- 
tainment and their creature comforts, and when the news 
was flashed to them that George S. Nixon had answered 
his last roll call they felt that they had lost a true bene- 
factor, a faithful public servant, and a public-spirited and 
kind-hearted fellow citizen. He had been faithful to 
them in his lifetime; they mourned his untimely death. 



T51] 



Address of Mr. Hayes, of California 

Mr. Speaker: I am very glad to be present on this occa- 
sion to pay my simple tribute of respect to the memory 
of George S. Nixon, late a Senator from the State of 
Nevada. As has already been stated, Senator Nixon was 
born within the confines of my State and grew to man- 
hood among the glories of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. 
He was a splendid example of what the youth of this 
land may accomplish by industry, temperance, energy, 
and perseverance. Coming from the smallest begin- 
nings, a farmer's boy, he rose to be one of the great finan- 
ciers of the West, and finally to fill the exalted position 
of Senator of the United States for his State. 

I did not know Senator Nixon until I came to Wash- 
ington as a Member of the Fifty-ninth Congress in 1905. 
I afterwards came to know him as one of the hardest 
working Members of the Senate, though not one of the 
noisy ones. He toiled as hard in the interest of his State 
and people as the hardest-worked Member of either 
House and gave to the discharge of his official duties 
the full measure of his manly devotion. A less manly 
man would have chosen a life of ease and enjoyment, 
which his ample means would have enabled him to do, 
instead of cheerfully and faithfully taking up the grind- 
ing task which we here know is the lot of the man who 
is chosen to represent his State in either branch of the 
Congress of the United States. Faithful to every duty, 
he merited and received the full measure of confidence 
of the people of his State, as he did of his colleagues and 
of the Members of this House. In 1910 he was nomi- 
nated by the people of Nevada by an overwhelming ma- 

[52] 



Address of Mr. Hayes, of California 

jority, and afterwards unanimously elected by the leg- 
islature of his State to succeed himself, an honor that is 
given to but few men in the history of this country. 

George S. Nixon was not only an honest, conscientious, 
and faithful legislator, he was a faithful, generous, and 
loyal friend, as I can testify from personal experience. 
His warm, generous heart prompted him to many unself- 
ish and kindly acts that others than the recipients knew 
not of, but these flowers of affection will be always cher- 
ished and preserved in memory by those who knew him 
well as the brightest ornaments in the life of a most 
successful and much-honored man. 

Mr. Speaker, life is full of tragedies, many of them 
unseen, although enacted before our eyes. Few of them 
have the dramatic setting of the tragedy that accom- 
panied the decease of our late colleague from Michigan, 
Mr. Wedemeyer, who has been spoken of here this after- 
noon; but in the death of Senator Nixon one of these 
tragedies was enacted. The circumstances surrounding 
his taking off were particularly distressing. A man just 
in the prime of life, marvelously successful in business, 
happy in all his family and social relations, honored by 
his State as few men are honored, loved and respected 
by the distinguished men of the Nation, prepared by 
seven years of experience to render to the people of his 
State and his country a service in the Senate of the 
United States more valuable by reason of that experi- 
ence, he was snatched away from it all by the hand of 
death and translated to other scenes and activities. To 
our short vision it looks as if such a result was all wrong, 
as though evil or chance had come in to destroy, so far 
as this man is concerned, the perfect and beneficent plan 
that an all-wise and loving Creator is supposed to have 
for each one of his children. Our limited judgment 



[53] 



Memorial Addresses: Senator Nixon 

would lead us to think that this man should have been 
left in his position of honor and service until, full of 
years, like ripened fruit, he dropped to the earth when 
all men would say, " It is well; he has finished his work; 
now let him rest." 

But a larger knowledge possibly, a more enlightened 
faith perhaps, has made many of us fervently believe 
that human life reaches not from the cradle to the grave 
but from the cradle beyond the grave to the furthest 
stretches of eternity; that death is not the end, but only 
a step, an epoch in the continuous life of man, only 
changing the outer garments and stepping into another 
room, larger and more beautiful than the one we left, 
where the sunshine streams in brighter, where love is 
fuller and truer, where opportunity is broader and larger, 
and where, if we have here done well our part, the spurs 
to effort and achievement may be less selfish and nobler 
and larger than here. This earth life is but the primary 
grade of that human school whose curriculum is not 
bounded by our years here, but reaches far into the great 
beyond. To those who have come to know this it will 
seem certain that, although unknown to him and to us, 
our brother and friend had finished the lessons of the 
primary school, and that therefore the Father has called 
him to a higher department, where larger development 
and wider knowledge await him. where not rest and in- 
action will claim him, but larger opportunity and wider 
usefulness will call into full activity every faculty of his 
manly and earnest nature. This thought should bring 
some consolation to those to whom he was near and dear 
as well as to us, his fellows, who knew him in the halls 
of legislation. 

To most of us the death of Senator Nixon was most 
sudden and unexpected — probably not so to him. But, 
in any case, a man engaged in the faithful discharge of 

[54] 



Address of Mr. Hayes, of California 

the duties that life brings to him, and who is living and 
doing day by day the best that is in him, needs no warn- 
ing, no preparation for death. He is always ready. So 
was it with our friend. I am persuaded that he entered 
the life beyond as he lived in this — calmly, confidently, 
hopefully — and that all is now well with him. As we 
remember his generosity and manly virtues, as we think 
of the success and the honors to which he came from 
humble beginnings and an apparently unpromising en- 
vironment, let us not forget that success for most men is 
only the result of intelligent, continuous, and earnest 
effort, and that the highest possible honor that can come 
to a man is a useful, well-spent life. 

Honor and shame from no condition rise. 
Act well your part : there all the honor lies. 

Then, in accordance with the resolution heretofore 
agreed to (at 4 o'clock and 6 minutes p. m.), the House 
adjourned until to-morrow, Monday, February 17, 1913. 
at 12 o'clock noon. 



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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



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